Claver, Misamis Oriental Going Back to their Roots The Higaonons’ Heritage of Biodiversity and Forest Conservation Oral historical narratives of Thousands of other trees in Misamis Oriental’s Higaonons Northeastern Mindanao’s dipterocarp (literally, mountain dwellers) forests, especially in Claveria – the largest mention an extraordinarily huge among the twenty-four towns of Misamis Oriental, with a total land area of 825 sq and robust tree that grew at the km (82,500 ha) – have since shared the fate center of what was to be the first of the fabled aposkahoy. officially-declared barangay when the municipality of Claveria was Yet the culprit to the area’s established in 1950. The tree was considerable deforestation in the past four so big that a budyong (helmet shell decades was not a fatal curse but the used as a horn) sounded behind it practice of migrant settlements. could not be heard on the other side Newcomers in search of the proverbial “greener pasture” initially cleared a small of its trunk (Lacson n.d.). portion of land for crop production, and Aposkahoy, one of Claveria’s cut trees for house construction and twenty-four barangays, was named firewood for home consumption. But after this tree, which was more migrants meant more trees felled, unfortunately felled as it was bigger clearings of fertile land for high- believed to have carried a fatal value crops, and consequently, less forest curse. cover. BANTAY Kalasan members, deputized by DENR to apprehend timber poachers, end up playing a crucial role in conflict resolution, thanks to the various training-workshops they attended. The implementation of the PTFCF-funded Moreover, the Higaonon reforestation project in Barangays Madaguing and datus (chieftains) welcomed the Mat-i, and in Aposkahoy’s Sitio Man-ibay in Claveria project as technical support to the couldn’t have come at a better time. “Building on preparation of their application Community-based Conservation of Native Trees: for Certificate of Ancestral Reforestation at the Cabulig and Balatukan Forest Domain Title (CADT) and the Margins,” was a two-year project implemented by formulation of their Ancestral the Landcare Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. Domain Sustainable Develop- (LFPI). ment and Protection Plan (ADSDPP). Both were initiated To the Higaonons who consider mountains and in 2005 by the leaders of the forests sacred, the principal aim of the project – to MAMACILA (acronym for Mat-i enhance the conservation of native trees and plants – and Man-ibay; Civoleg and is not unfamiliar. It is akin to their traditional Langguyod) Apo Ginopakan environmental management practice of setting aside Higaonon Tribal Council, Inc., a a sikaran, a “no hunting area” in the forest, to help non-profit organization to which preserve species of fauna (including the endangered some of the community-based Philippine Eagle [Pithecophaga jefferyi]) and flora forest management project (Lacson n.d.). To develop and strengthen community stakeholders belong. Project enterprises and livelihood sources that enhance results showed that objectives forest conservation was an equally strong motivation were satisfactorily met – and for the residents’ active involvement in the project. more. Rethinking Reforestation Bantay Kalasan (forest guard; BK) chief Joping Malo-ay recounts confrontations In the three project sites, 283 ha of land with neighbors, relatives and friends with high biodiversity were delineated by apprehended for timber poaching. He is the communities for strict protection, a invariably told, “You’re right, this should specified area closed to all human activity not be done, but I need to put food on the except for scientific studies and/or table. If you want me to stop cutting trees, ceremonial or religious use by the give me money to feed my family.” Higaonon. An additional 25 ha were set for forest rehabilitation. Moreover, 56.5 ha It took 16.5 hectares-worth of agro- were identified as communal forests, and forestry (abaca, coffee) in the individual 17.2 ha were set for individual’s restoration farm lots of community members and the areas through assisted natural regeneration launch of small-scale tinagak (abaca fiber (ANR). rope) and hinabol (hand-woven textile) enterprises to convince small-scale illegal The ANR, which incorporates the loggers to rethink their easy-money protection of seedlings from undergrowth schemes. and the planting of new trees when needed, is labor-intensive and requires constant Today, all barangays involved in the maintenance. In communities where most project have enacted an ordinance requiring families’ survival depends heavily on the any resident cutting trees in the ANR areas national government’s support that was to plant ten seedlings in exchange for every precursor to the current conditional cash tree felled. Some might doubt the transfer program, forest protection could be sustainability of this practice, but the intensified if integrated with the community’s volunteer forest guards are development of additional sources of convinced it is viable since this practice has income. been handed down by their ancestors. THROUGH their experience in the PTFCF-LFPI community-based reforestation project, the Higaonons have become experts in building nurseries such as this 155,000 seedling nursery for DENR’s National Greening Program in Man-ibay, Aposkahoy. REGULAR meetings to monitor project progress have also helped community folks be more aware of the needs of their neighbors and offer help whenever necessary. Each community (Man-ibay, Mat-i and The project, meant to Madaguing) built nurseries and growing chambers, preserve the biodiversity in the through which locals improved their wildling three communities, (out)planted collection and management skills. To be reacquainted a total of 52,491 hills of nineteen with native trees, they asked community elders, who species of indigenous trees, willingly shared their knowledge of the mountains such as: ani-e (Erythrina fusca), and forests. The picture painted by their elders basikong (Ficus botryocarpa), bitaog showed that drawing upon the past can be a (Calophyllum blancoi), buga-buga significant source of diversity. Who would have (Neolisea vidalii), hinagdong known, for instance, that the Cabulig and Balatukan (Tremma orientalis), kati-e forests were home to about twenty-six kinds of high- (Castanopsis spp.), lago (Prunus quality rattan species? gresea), white lauan (Shorea contorta), nato (Palaquium Young Higaonons were involved in the project’s mindanaense Merr), narra nursery building and maintenance. “For school tree- (Pterocarpus indicus), sagimsiman planting activities, these students would invariably (Syzygium brevistylum); as well as insist on using native tree species with which they lugisan, magapipi, malangkaw, have become quite familiar,” says Malo-ay. malasantol, and pugahan, which “Knowledge of these things keeps them reconnected are identified only by their local with, and teaches them to value their roots,” he adds. names. Reinforcing Community Agro-forestry Three livelihood projects were Some 16,500 abaca suckers were initiated or given assistance for distributed to ninety households in three expansion through the community- communities of Man-ibay, Mat-i and based forest management program: Madaguing. “Even those who didn’t sign abaca production and processing; coffee up for the project eventually benefitted,” production; and community marketing says Datu Matundaan, as those involved enterprise for abaca fiber and abaca in the project shared planting materials finished products – tinagak, hinabol and with their relatives and neighbors. handicrafts. Today, most of the Higaonon farmers “It took sometime before we could in the three communities grow abaca, convince those who are used to foraging which is both economically and to refrain from, or minimize harvesting ecologically beneficial. A shade-loving rattan, which used to be abundant in our plant, abaca typically grows better in forests, and other timber and non-timber mountainous areas in association with forest products,” recounts Perfecto various forest species (Gonzal 2005). It Pinuhan, also known as Datu also helps prevent soil erosion and Matundaan. conserves forest water. DATU Buo-tan and his wife are among the Higanons benefiting from abaca production and processing. The Higaonons’ choice Supporting the Ancestral of abaca as cash crop is a Domain Claim testament to their knowledge of what is now Inspired by the success of their counterparts in termed “rainforestation,” a the Minalwang Higaonon Tribal Council farming strategy that (MIHITRICO), which started pursuing their CADT restores the original application as early as 1993, MAMACILA followed vegetation stand and at the the lead albeit a dozen years later. The two same time conserves the organizations, which share common traditions and biological diversity in the ethno-linguistic characteristics, synchronized their area by facilitating the separate CADT application-related activities through natural process of the assistance of GREEN Mindanao and other NGOs succession (DILG 2004). working closely with LGUs (Lacson n.d.). By the time the project In 2007, LFPI took over from where other NGOs ended in 2008, the left off, helping in the pre-perimeter survey as well community marketing as the actual ground perimeter survey of the 17,558.6- enterprises in the three hectare CADT claim of the Higaonon Tribe of communities supported by MAMACILA; and facilitated the installation of the project had a total value